Bob Glaves

Bob Glaves has been Executive Director of The Chicago Bar Foundation since October, 1999, prior to which he had a successful nine-year career as a civil litigator at the Chicago law firm then known as Menges, Mikus & Molzahn. As Executive Director of the CBF, Glaves is responsible for leading and overseeing the CBF’s work that brings Chicago’s legal community together to improve access to justice for people in need and to make the legal system more fair and efficient for everyone. Since Glaves became Executive Director, the CBF has increased the amount of its annual grants and fundraising more than tenfold and has played a lead role in launching a number of groundbreaking access to justice initiatives.

Glaves authors the “Bobservations” blog, has been featured in Crain’s Chicago Business, has written numerous articles for legal and nonprofit publications, and is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences on issues including access to justice, pro bono, advocacy, and a number of other legal and nonprofit topics. He has served as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Donors Forum (n/k/a Forefront) and President of the National Conference of Bar Foundations. He also served on the boards of the American Judicature Society and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), and has chaired the Chicago Bar Association (CBA) Legislative Committee, the CBA Legal Aid Committee and several other bar committees. He was the principal drafter and led the successful advocacy efforts for the Illinois Equal Justice Act and other significant Illinois legislation. He is involved in a number of other policy and law-related initiatives as well.